A blast from the past .. Ledra Street from the roof tops, must have been taken on a 'weed them out patrol' .. up on the rooftops in plimsoles, drive everyone into the street where the foot patrols would round them up for questioning after an incident (as if they ever hung around).All in all it wasn't a bad posting after I got slung out of 3 GHQ Signals Regt - found a great billet with the CSO (Ciphers) Branch ... great officer as CSO(Ciphers), Major Jack Knowles a Lancastria survivor from Dunkerque in fact all the CSO Staff were first class.As for the RAF casualties they did take a disproportionate number due possibly to Nicosia Airport being an international stop over as well as RAF HQ, at the time I thought the security there was a bit iffy .. we used just to stroll in to go to the cinema in the early days of the uprising with little or no challenge, and the perimeter fence was large and in a lot of places out of line of sight. That changed dramatically after the Para's arrived. I remember the day they arrived, we were digging weapon pits on the approach road to the airport and Kykko Camp, they came tabbing by in full battle order still with BD and shirts hairy .. poor sods were just about done in with the afternoon heat if you can remember that.Did you ever hit Rosies Bar, she used to collect formation flashes and pin them behind the bar ... and Joe the Greek street sandwich man, boy could he hustle up a turkey and ham sarnie,

Ah well time passes to bloody Certa Cito don't it.

Len (Ciphers)

GuestGuest

Subject: Re: Absence with leave 27/9/2011, 10:20

OK, leave approved. Off to Rome in a few days to board Ruby Princess and then Coral Princess. Back in in the Officers Mess in a couple of months. Out looking around the world, into Roma, out of LA.

Major Jack Knowles was our OC in 51 Bde Signal Sqn - Famagusta in around 1956. He didn't go down too well with us Never saw him smile - probably would have cracked his face. \the next OC was Major John Badcock. An altogether different chap. Jovial, smiling and much loved by all. Went on to become a Major General. Spoke to him at the Blandford Reunion a few weeks ago, and still jovial into his eighties.

We stayed about 8 kms west of Kyrenia at a place called 'Citrus Tree Gardens' during August/Sept. Very pleasant but hot - around 95-100 F. Was also there last year.Served in Cyprus 1955-7 - Famagusta. A bit different then to now.

We stayed about 8 kms west of Kyrenia at a place called 'Citrus Tree Gardens' during August/Sept. Very pleasant but hot - around 95-100 F. Was also there last year.Served in Cyprus 1955-7 - Famagusta. A bit different then to now.

Jimsigs1

Jim, can't say that I have seen the Citrus Tree Gardens - not because it's not there but I NEVER take my eyes off the road when driving in Northern Cyprus!!

You are so right about the driving in Northern Cyprus. Whilst there in August, travelling on the Kyrenia-Nicosia duel carriage way, we stopped off to explore a road to the left. On returning to the main carriage way and stopping so that we could feed into the traffic a pickup bashed into the rear of our hire car. Stoved in the boot lid a bit. When I asked the driver why he didn't see us he simply replied ' Its an accident and they do happen'What a plonkhead !!

I went to Cyprus I would guess in about 1975, a guy called Brian Allott and myself were the REME support for the Queens regt. We were about the first there after the invasion. I can not for the life of me remember which barracks we were stationed at though.